'Iconic Animal' Proposed for Endangered Species List

The act of catching fireflies may soon be a thing of summers past. For the first time, the US government hopes to add a firefly to the list of endangered species, making it illegal to harm the insect in most cases. Named after the Delaware town where it was discovered in 1949, the Bethany Beach firefly emerges in June to signal summer along the coasts of Delaware, Maryland, and Virginia. But the nocturnal insect and its double flash of green light is threatened by climate change, light pollution, and coastal development, according to the US Fish and Wildlife Service, which on Monday proposed protecting the nocturnal insect under the Endangered Species Act, per the Washington Post.

The proposal comes years after researchers indicated one in six firefly species in the US and Canada are at risk of extinction. The same 2021 study found more than half of species "could not be evaluated against the assessment criteria due to insufficient data." Though there's much talk about dwindling bees and butterflies, the plight of fireflies has drawn less attention. The proposed designation would mean a big change for "an iconic animal" whose habitats in freshwater marshes and coastal dunes are at risk from rising sea levels and stronger storms fueled by climate change, FWS biologist Julie Slacum tells the Post. "Over the next 30 or 50 years, a lot of these swales are probably going to be underwater."

Firefly habitats are also suffering as housing developments and invasive plants take over coastal areas, eliminating the native plants on which fireflies rely for shelter. Meanwhile, light pollution is disrupting firefly mating. But "there's still time to save these fireflies," says Slacum. Recognizing the Bethany Beach firefly as a threatened species under the Endangered Species Act, which could mean limiting light pollution and protecting swales, "would be a tremendous step toward ensuring these little creatures don't blink out," says petition co-author Jess Tyler, a staff scientist with the Center for Biological Diversity. FWS will accept public comment on the proposal until Dec. 2. (More endangered species stories.)